The FIA Prize Giving Gala is all set to take place in Baku for the first time this year. Ahead of the gala, Lewis Hamilton has slammed the motorsports governing body and called for change.
The FIA Prize Giving ceremony will happen after a very happening weekend. It all started with seemingly wild allegations against Toto Wolff and his wife Susie Wolff for allegedly having a conflict of interest. FIA placed the couple under investigation and then they dropped the charges suddenly.
#F1 | Lewis Hamilton: “There is a constant fight to really improve diversity and inclusion within the industry. It seems there are certain individuals in the leadership of the FIA that every time we try and make a step forward they are trying to pull us back, and that has to…
— deni (@fiagirly) December 8, 2023
Susie Wolff blasted the complaints against her by saying they were rooted in misogyny. Even after FIA stopped the investigation, Susie has not been happy and she even released a statement claiming to ‘not stop before finding out the instigators’. Lewis Hamilton also spoke in favor of the fact that the baseless complaints would harm Susie’s march towards female inclusivity in F1.
As reported by Andrew Benson, Hamilton said, “There is a constant fight to really improve diversity and inclusion within the industry. It seems there are certain individuals in the leadership of the FIA that every time we try and make a step forward they are trying to pull us back, and that has to change.”
Hamilton and the FIA have perhaps not seen eye to eye ever since the 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi. And their relationship worsened when the Briton deliberately missed the prize-giving gala that year even though the rules compelled him to attend. Now, after two years, things seem to be heating up between the two once again.
Lewis Hamilton is not elated at the status quo of inclusivity in Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton has always lent his support towards inclusivity in motorsports. Being the only Black racer in a sport that commenced in the 1940s, Hamilton is aware of the long path he needs to travel before Formula One becomes more inclusive.
Recently, he mentioned the upsetting picture of inclusivity in his own team – Mercedes. He said, “We just did a team photo and I’m still looking and I’m like, damn, we still have so much work to do.”
#F1 | Lewis Hamilton speaks diversity after taking the 2023 Team picture:
“I’m not going to lie. We just did a team photo and I still look and I’m like, ‘Damn, we still have so much work to do’. There’s three people of colour, for example. But there are a lot more women. But… pic.twitter.com/v8ttkDRWuc
— deni (@fiagirly) December 2, 2023
As the F1 winter break is underway, various racers have headed home or are on vacation, but Hamilton is using this time to take his movement for inclusivity further. He recently visited the Mulberry School for Girls to talk about Mercedes’ partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust as a part of the team’s Accelerate 25 initiative.
Hamilton shared a photo of his visit to the Mulberry School for Girls on his Instagram story. He described his day there as ‘beautiful’ and also thanked the school authority for hosting him. He interacted with the bright students who showed off their coding skills and discussed topics such as the empowerment of students interested in STEM.
